How do you top Europe 72?
ALL SUMMER IN A DAY.

One of the best versions of Dark Star and Bird Song can be found in this show. I don't see what others are saying about the heat making the instruments out of tune, the band was on fire the whole show. (Apparently Dick never chose this show because he believed this). Deadhead magic right here at its finest!

The stage announcements are Buzz Killington.
I sometimes put this show on and often I feel like I’m just hearing announcements
When they finally play it’s pretty stellar

I was handed a cassette of this show in the Oakland Coliseum in 1989. It was pure gold to me and I kept it on me at all times so I would never lose it. A few years later I took it to a head I knew who worked at a recording studio and he cleaned it up for me and put it on DAT and CD. I know it wasn't the best transfer ever but it allowed me to burn more CDs and spread the love.
It had only been less than two years since Janis died and you can feel it in every note of Bird Song.
Every time someone cleans it up and posts it, it's almost like hearing it for the first time again :) So a big thank you to the audiophiles who know what they're doing! Keep doing it!

If you can't find a way to give this recording, and the show itself,five stars, then I'm not sure what you're looking for. It's all here in spades. And for the person that doesn't like the video because of a surplus or dearth of dongs and not liking the particular women featured, man, you don't get it. LOL.

THIS is the sound of thick air.

Contrary to the previous reviewer, i feel like there aren't enough dongs in the DVD, nor are there enough naked women who fall short of the exacting personal standards of the previous reviewer.
In related news, The Playin In The Band is a rampaging hurricane. One of those jams that makes you realize why Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine cite him as an influence. I've often wondered if the Dead were turned onto the freakier progressive/psychedelic rock coming out of Europe and South America around this era which put the vast majority of American music to shame. Sure, the Dead and the Velvet Underground could wig out with the best of them, but beyond them you're hard pressed to find Americans who could hold a candle to the dense psychedelic masterpieces being cranked out of France and Germany on a weekly basis. The dissonant cyclones Garcia unleashes in this jam hints that he's turned on to the King Crimsons, Soft Machines, Clusters, Ash Ra Temples, Magmas, etc. I wonder if the shared lineage tracing back to Stockhausen allowed the Dead to dose out listening to Ege Bamyasi or Neu! before most American heads even realized that music was progressing way beyond the lemon drops and peppermints psychedelia of the 60s?
The Dead were rampaging through Europe right as it was having it's first huge year on the weird music scene.
America's big contributions were via jazz, Miles dropping On The Corner, Ornette with Science Fiction, Mtume Umoja Ensemble 's Land of the Blacks, Alice Coltranes World Galaxy, Pharaoh Sanders with Black Unity, Donald Byrd's Ethiopian Knights, McCoy Tyner's Sahara.. tons of stuff on Strata-East and Black Jazz proving anyone who said jazz died in the 70s is deaf or a liar..Their transcendental repetition reflecting back what was going on across the Atlantic from Fela Kuti in Nigeria to Kraftwerk in Germany, setting the stage for a whole new repetitive, rhythmic form of expression that would dominate the next 40 years of music. Oh, and Steve Reich's Drumming. The god of minimalism. Mind melting.
In Germany 72 was the year krautrock went for broke with Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, Can, Neu!, Out of Focus, Agitation Free, Grobschnitt, Twenty Six Six And Then, Popul Vuh, Embryo, Amon Duul II, Faust, Klaus Schulze, releasing masterpieces. Italy discovered their own mindbending sound with the romantic avant-garde tinged symphonic progressive music of Le Orme, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Quella Vecchia Locanda, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Alan Sorrenti.. England had King Crimson putting in their chip for the "best band in the world" title (which they probably won for a few months here and there a couple times) and a lot of other bands followed the Dead's lead (probably not consciously) looking towards folky fantasy with Genesis, Gentle Giant, Hawkwind, Khan, Uriah Heep, Strawbs, Jethro Tull, Wishbone Ash, Soft Machine had just came with Fifth and Pink Floyd just dropped Echoes and blew everyones brains even if they had no idea of the crazy music going on under the surface.
And then France, ah France. Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes with folk music that made Workingman's Dead feel about as psychedelic as the Smothers Brothers, Moving Gelatine Plates came with the World of Genius Hans, imo one of the 25 best albums ever made. like trippy music? listen to THAT! Jean-Claude Vannier's L'enfant assassin des mouches" taking the work he did with Serge Gainsbourg and blowing it up to bizarre lysergic sex dream proportions, Arachnoid's terrifying space jams weren't released until 1979 but were recorded around this time, the pastoral sounds of Atoll mirroring what Genesis and their ilk were up to in the UK, Cyrille Verdeaux's Clearlight Symphony, two 20+ minute slabs of methodically mutating genius that will take you to places you've never dreamed, Carpe Diem blending the Canterbury sound of Soft Machine & Camel with the more avant-garde leaning Zeuhl sounds of France. Ah, that old keyword "Zeuhl" which doesn't actually translate to, but might as well translate to "French people who were borderline acid casualties who made jazzy rock music weierder than anyone in America was even dreaming of"- i mean, this stuff probably had Zappa's jaw on the floor. And not in a quasi-obnoxious way like Beefheart, just in a straight up expressway to your skull.
Not sure when they came out, but Lard Free, Flamen Dialis, Univers Zero, Eskaton, ZAO, Weidorje, are some french bands who will push you over the edge and turn you into a fiend for this music.
Richard Pinhas & Heldon prefiguring the Disco Biscuits by about 20 years (but slacking behind Kraftwerk & Tangerine Dream in the dance synths plus guitar decathalon, Heldon is still super bad and will get your brain racing your feet) Shylock and Skyrvania have some spectacular riffs and an amateur feel thats super ingratiating.
And then there's Magma. The creators of Zeuhl and one of the most singularly original bands in the history of music. Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh is a safe bet for being an album that makes you say "I have never heard anything like this. And I love it" - simultaneously dissonant, choral, improvisational and highly composed. ooh. wee!
So yeah.. I just kinda wanted to come in here and throw out a massive list of bands that one could dip into if they ever feel like shifting away from the jambands for a minute and trying out some new old music that was bursting with creativity at the same time as the Dead. Imagining the Dead in Europe going from town to town and absorbing all this insane music is so fun.
I've long been concerned that Deadheads can get a little myopic with their favorite groups. So myhope is that everyone who reads this decides to randomly check out at least one album on here and has their mind blown to smithereens. i'm talking smoking crater. Poor prog rock got a terrible reputation from its most popular groups pomposity and elitism. This post tries to illuminate the other side of the coin, weird nerds wearing dresses and warpaint but also turning classical, jazz, rock, funk and avant garde into a potent concoction.

I hope they keep this stream available after the release of the DVD. Seen the preview and too many naked dudes, and women who should not be nude in public as well. The sound is good enough for me, only . . . is there a word for musical pedants? Perfect pitch? Only people who can discern the the out of tuneness will worry about it. This is a Great Show. Check out the massive multi-page multi-reviewer review in "The DeadHead's Taping Compendium" for details. Might get a CD only or otherwise visual-free official version of this but the film is unpalatable.

Today right before the showing of SSDD dead.net announced the official release. Lets rejoice and be glad. By the way
5*****x2**=10**********!!!!!!!

Please don't let Buddy Q's comment discourage you, the guitars are most certainly in tune.

I do not rate shows, I only enjoy them. The dark star here is worth the listen. A plus sound quality .... and worth every minute. Thanks to all who make this possible. Enjoy.

As Dick said, it was too hot and the guitars were out of tune. I think this show's reputation comes from the availability of a very good SBD when there weren't many others from the time.
Recommended: 9/24/72

iasked for a top 5 list of dark star ever played and this popped out of thin air. magic.this dark star is that good.this whole show is that good.

So many shows here get undeserved 5 star ratings, this is not one of them. Not only does this recording capture an amazing musical performance in pristine quality, it has that something extra to put you right in the moment. The mix is phenomenal, and the stage announcements/banter just create a surreal atmosphere that'll have you sweltering in the heat like these 'heads nearly 40 years ago (wow). Something about these outdoor festivals brings out the best in the band. Listen to 6/16/74 Iowa Fairgrounds for a similar tripped-out vibe (the sound on this is much better tho). This is an absolute top 5, desert-island, stick-it-in-my-coffin whatever show.

one of the best and a personal favorite i have upgraded this show again this is top notch. Zane Kasey just 2 days ago posted that he wants to get GD productions and maybe rhino has their hands in it as well to get this movie out to the people who want it.till then do yourself a favor...5 across the board

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIuSV_E4zHE&feature=related

The fact that this show was preserved on film is mind-blowing in and of itself. And then there's the music...

This show gets a lot of hype, but it's all deserved. Veneta has my vote for the best ever Grateful Dead concert ahead of Barton Hall, Boston Garden & Buffalo '77. Ahead of Fillmore West 3/1/69 or Fillmore East '70 or Winterland '73. Ahead of anything at all.
Jerry and the band are on fire from the start and never let up! Empire Wembley Pool 4/8/72 is great, there are lots of great shows on the Europe '72 tour, but this beats them all flat.
I have nearly 200 shows and this one stands out in my collection as the one I come back to over and over again.
Best ever or top 5 versions of a LOT of songs:
Best ever Playing (IMO), Best ever Mexicali Blues (no doubt), Best ever Rider, Monster top-5 Dark Star that is lyrical and deep and richly played. Great versions of virtually everything else they played at that time.
If you haven't heard this give it a listen! If you have, you know what I'm talking about.

Hey there Grateful live! You can put this in your iPod. I did! I would love to share with you how to do it, but I do not want to put my email address on here. Give it some focused thought and I bet you can figure it out.
BTW - This show is sick! I love summer/fall 1972!

I stumbled upon this show in search of a nice "he's gone." the whole "he's gone>jack straw>bird song" thing looked tasty so I decided to give this show a try.
All three are very good renditions, particularly the bird song.. that jam is off the chain people! I think i struck gold with that one.
Not rating this because I haven't heard the whole thing yet, but 5 stars for what I've heard so far! the sound quality is pretty solid for the time period, too.
wish i knew how to get this onto my ipod.. o well, can't wait to hear the rest tomorrow!

Chris U. observed correctly that Jerry was ready for a Morning Dew coming out of that absolutely amazing Dark Star. Just wasn't supposed to be that day.
But damn this show is amazing! I would highly recommend for any Head that has the time to go and check out the random "Sunshine Daydream" clips filmed on this day (they're all over Youtube) to give you an even better context of the "set and setting" of this show. Such a fantastic display of what this band was all about.
I mean when was the last time you went to a concert and saw kids dancing around in their diapers while their parents grooved to some of the greatest music ever created?
This was a good time to be alive.

It's still possible to download this show on nugs,net/free stash...hope that helps....
peace

Personally, a hands-down a Top 10 Show. Right from "Go" the boys are on fire, really delivering under pressure (the heat is alluded to many times throughout three sets). The playing is extraordinarily tight, concrete setlist ("Bird Song" flies into the stratosphere), and the M.C. Ken Babbs (along with Bobby's heckling of him) is really great.
If nothing else, you'll be hard pressed to find a finer "Playin'", even more so to find a show with such a caliber "Dark Star" too!
The festivities were filmed, too, by Kesey & his crew. Unfortunately it doesn't look like they ever released it commercially, though you can find clips online. If anyone has any knowledge of how to get a copy (seeding or uploaded) I'd be extremely Grateful!
Peace, enjoy the show.

I did some pretty close listening and decided I liked this one the best. Sounded most "full," and without the echoing quality that the other "full" sounding mix gave off.
Surprising... usually the newer soundboard SDB sources end up being the better ones.

i really don't know how the only 4-star rating for this show said this is good but not great. impossible, this to me and many others is one of the dead's best shows ever. easliy my very favorite of '72 for 4 main reasons: China/Rider, Bird Song, PITB, and Dark Star.
This China/Rider is sooo great i just can't stop listening to it sometimes. bobby's rhythm jam is perfect and then jerry just takes off in the last 2 minutes or so...really unique and exciting stuff...the seuge into rider is so sweet.
Bird Song is hands down, without question the most incredible version ever imho. i don't know if i've ever heard sweeter sounds come out jerry's guitar. just listen to it it's f-ing perfect.
Playin' is also my favorite ever just because of it's sheer energy. starts so and spacy and then garcia just SHREADS! keith is no slouch in this one either. anyone who doubts him should check this out. the band takes off so high you think they might not come back and then...
Dark Star...i dont know if this is my favorite one, but if it isn't i can't really say what is. the last half especially just sucks me in every time. phil starts doing some nasty stuff round the 20:00 mark and then keith and jerry lead them into the rabbit hole. the segue into el paso is so fluid too, it's just beyond words.
I've said WAY too much already. this show gets a lot of hype but it is well deserved, more so than cornell i think. just get it!!!

I love the 'BT Wind' from this show, one of my favorite Bobby tunes. Any one notice after he messes up the opening verse that he sings alternate lyrics...or am I just going nuts? It sounds like he says "running around, this clover leaf town" I'm uncertain about the running around part, but I am certain he does not sing "I'm running aground" am am pretty certain he says "clover leaf town."
Can anyone correct me? Does anyone have any notes on that? I know it's different than the alternate lyrics sung in 1990.
Just wondering if I'm the only one that wonders about that.
peace
*****As for the show itself, IMHO this is certainly a top ten GD performance, almost perfect all the way through, 5 starts for sure. Great song selection, Keith rips on an unbelievable 'Playin' In The Band,' Jerry being Jerry : ), Phil and Billy keep things very tight all day and night long. I love this show very much, I never tire of it. The China > Ryder is nice and smooth.
I understand how some would have liked to hear a 'Dew' come out of 'Dark Star.' It seemed that's where the band was going as you hear Phil's pre-dew distorted bass, and even the intro licks by Jerry. But then Bobby (and Billy) take a sharp turn as they quickly head in a completely different direction. I really don't mind the 'El Paso' as I tend to dig the odd combos when they come and really shows the bands versatility and ability to improvise.
My only real dissatisfaction with the show is the encore. I'm unhappy with Jerry's choice of 'Casey Jones' and feel Bobby's 'One More Saturday Night' is was too predictable...oh well...can I imagine???...brokedown, black peter, ripple, dire wolf...???

I can't get enough of this show. China/Rider alone is worth a listen over and over again. I watch the clips of this show on youtube with envy as well, and wonder if anyone knows how to get a hold of the Sunshine Daydream video/dvd?

I had downloaded and recorded this show months ago and believe it or not stuck it in a bin where I keep CDs and forgot about it until cleaning out my garage over the weekend! This show is all it's cracked up to be and more..perfect sound, perfect set list..This, my friends, is the finest band in the land, The Good Ol' Graateful Dead.
Jim

Grateful Dead at their best. Pure Sickness. Mandatory listen & must have. Quality is outstanding. Ahh to have been there on the Grounds that day on the Kool Aid.

What a wonderful show! Check out China Cat /New Rider (always a good test) and find it played any better. And the whole show is up there.The energy just crackles. Great sound quality, great little onstage comments/announcements to set the atmosphere. I can't praise this show highly enough

What was in those salt tablets Bobby's been taking? Oh my, this is one fantastic performance. The band shoots out of the start gate on fire and roll along like a well-oiled machine! They play nearly everything to perfection and even the tiny imperfections remain just that, tiny. And as for the Dark Star, holy s__t! Are you kidding me?! I've never seen this "Sunshine Daydream" video, but I will be looking.
10 stars for sound, another 10 for the show and 10 more for the laughs in between! Guess that rounds to 5 stars...

Previous review from May 2010: YouTube has some nice clips from the Sunshine Daydream video, if anyone is interested.
Always loved this show. The weather is hot -> the band is hot.
With the possible exception of I Know You Rider, the song selection is perfectly back and forth between Bobby and Jerry. The only possible misfire in the song selection (in my humble opinion) is the Dark Star->El Paso.
Should have been a Morning Dew. You can hear Jerry trying to make it happen but Bobby isn't having any of it. So what might have been the best Morning Dew ever becomes a rather ordinary version of El Paso. So it goes! Take what you need.
-------
Added note to CEK Feb 2015: you forgot Xhol Caravan, the great German band from the late 60s/early 70s, who regularly improvised their way into some very groovy Dead-like territory (without guitar solos!); and, of course, the legendary Gong (who, along with the Dead and the Pink Fairies, contributed the best sides to the Glastonbury Fayre 3LP). Keep on trippin', international hippie freaks everywhere.

Hot Damn!!!
Listen to the little run that introduces the solo in Bertha. You can tell that Jerry was feeling it this night.
The sound quality is fantastic.

I have been unable to download this show as well. It's killing me...I hope this means the show will be released soon on DVD, a little wishful thinking.
Any thoughts anyone?

I really want to hear this what's up?

Playin Jam........... Unreal, best playin Jam I have ever heard.

Listen to the harmonies on 'I know you Rider'...
Phil sounds GREAT...The Crosby Stills & Nash influence is evident...too bad Phil got those nasty throat nodes... Bobby's nice Rhythm Guitar is out front...(pre Healy days?!) Thank You Betty!

of this show? I guess, but if you don't have or love this show, you're not really a true Deadhead. It was a hot day in Oregon, over 100 degrees farenheit, but this amazingly had almost no effect on the tuning of the Dead's instruments. In fact, the group's intonation is consistently excellent. There are several landmark Dead performances of songs such as "Bird Song," "Playin'," "Greatest Story," "Jack Straw," "Dark Star," and "Sugar Magnolia." Is the "Sunshine Daydream" coda used to any more appropriate effect than it is here? I didn't think so, because this show really was a sunshine daydream in itself.
The SBD recording, it being a Betty board, is fabulous as usual. You are not going to believe this show when you play it through a good set of speakers and a subwoofer. Or better yet, try and find a pirated copy of the Sunshine Daydream movie. Perfection.

This show flows like nobody's business. It seemed like I just popped it on and next thing I know I am floating amongst Playing in the Band-fantastic. Greatest Story- not one of my favorite songs, but listen to the drums. They get pounded into oblivion, stronger and harder and cripser than any I have heard.
Jerry, of course, is on fire throughout, but I can't say enough about the drums- I am listening to Sugar Mag right now and the pounding all fierce just too much to bear. I am going to follow the advice of another reviewer and crank this one start to finish and just relish the joy!

I truly believe that this show is as important a moment in Grateful Dead history as there was. The truly visionary music played still can take me to areas of thought and visions that is beyond words. The Dark Star, Playing, Bird Song are what I listen to shows for, that sense of "Meaning of Life" clarity at the same time as chaotic sinisterism and limitless possibilities! Please take the time to explore this show!!

While I agree that Cornell 5-8-77 is a little over-rated, this show cannot have enough praise lavished upon it. IMHO, several of the best versions ever played. Simply brilliant!!!

I can't even begin to tell you how many of *these songs*--i.e. these 8-27-72 versions--got me listening to the Dead in the first place. Just listen to this China Rider and Dark Star...phonomenal. Undoubtedly one of the best shows the boys ever busted out!

one of my favorites here. Listen to the fatman rip on bertha. Download this one you will love it.

This is a good, not great '72 show. Better versions of, for example, China>Rider and Bird Song are easily available from this era. Taper/Head rankings consistently put this show at the top of the mountain along with Cornell '77 and I just don't see/hear it. No question this is a good show, but the 2d best of all-time? I don't think so. For those looking for shows from this era, that in this reviewers opinion, should be pulled before this one:
11/11/73
2/24/74
6/16/74
9/26/73
RECOMMENDED

the craziest, most energetic playin' ever. rest of show is good too

Single Handedly the best breakdown in a Playin. Keith opens up a cavernous romp into musical brilliance and Jerry just goes off. Thanks Boys. I think I have listened to this jam more than any other ever. WHoo hooo.

the second set of this concert is ridiculous, my favorite set of all time, best playing and birdsong.

This one sounds better

smokin show. I threw on the headphones, plugged in the 6 string, and had myself an evening with The Dead. I streamed the show, and the Promise was broken as it was not there. Not to worry. Plenty of good grooves lie ahead. About 1/4 of the way thru China/Rider, I broke my Hi E, (first broken string really playin since 89'). Not the greatest C/R, but it certainly got me off!~ To me, its all about that moment. Not the entire lead, song, or show, just that sudden explosion you feel, that makes it all worthwhile. I cannot count how many times they have brought me there. Time and time again, GD envelopes me, in what the rest of my life cannot provide. If it were not for the Archive, Tapers, and the love of great music, I'd have an entire piece of my life missing.
Gratefully Yours-

this is the upgrade from the dankseed version, I certify this is the one, this is better than the one we certified as dank. really. get this one. it's better than the copy I have.
and the show was a fun as hell show.
you aren't going to find a better version of a rarer show than this.
YOU listen to it and tell me I'm wrong.

For those who are saying to get the other sbd copy of this excellent show, I disagree. The stage banter is included in this one, just at the end of the tracks of the songs before, rather than as their own tracks. I love the sound quality on this one, and the playing? The others have said it better than I could. For me, the only advantage of the other sbd copy on this site is that the banters are their own tracks. Otherwise, get this one. Everything's included, even if the tracks don't show that.

This Greatest Story Ever Told is the Greatest Story Ever played! Jerry comes riding out from a quasar. I challenge you to listen to this song without playing air guitar and mouthing the wahwah. A must listen.

Above all else this show is significant for the Playin' which found the Dead orbiting above the Earth using Veneta as fuel to usher in and trasmit their collective cosmology.

Through the years I have steadily been getting upgrades of this show ever since my first crappy, hissy tape was given to me. At the time it was barely listenable, but the music was sooo hot I had to have it. Now this source is excellent and I'm sure it about as good as it gets for now until the much rumored and promised official release of the Sunshine Daydream Video finally comes out. I do see that Jay Ashley released a Bertha upgrade. That should be very nice!
There has been plenty written about this show. John Dwork wrote an excellent review in DDN and the Deadhead's Taping Compendium. All that you have heard about this show is true. This represents the Dead's greatest triumph. The music is played at an unmatched level of intensity, Particularly the China Cat>Rider (A rollicking goodtime) the Playing (absolutly breathtaking)and the Dark Star( a mind boggling musical journey)! 1972 was a excellant year for the Dead, there are dozens of hot shows, and unbelievable Dark Stars, Playings, Other Ones ect.. But this show stands out above all others. D/L it and savor it!!! You will not be disappointed!!

This is the version I have been looking for ever since I got my 1st crappy analog version & deadbase.

this version doesn't include any banter, which is really great to listen to on this show, get the Orf version which is still 3cds and also on this site.